Cross Threatens Legislative Block To Thomson Sale
House Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) says he'll introduce legislation that would put to a vote Gov. Quinn's proposal to sell the Thomson correctional center to the federal government. Meanwhile, federal officials say that in addition to housing prisoners from the U.S. military facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the facility could become a site for conducting military trials of alleged terrorists.

U of I Grad Students Continue Strike
Graduate student instructors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus will continue its strike today that shut down "several hundred" classes on Monday. The graduate students' union and administration have failed to reach a contract agreement, with the sole sticking point being tuition waivers.

Supreme Court Hears Ryan's Pension Plea
On Wednesday, the Illinois Supreme Court will hear imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan's case over whether he should be allowed to keep some part of his state pension.

Cook County Tackles Sales Tax Repeal, Again
Cook County Commissioners who favor repealing Board President Todd Stroger's controversial penny-on-the-dollar sales tax hike are convening an emergency meeting this morning for the sole purpose, they hope, of slashing the increase in half. With 11 board members ready to vote for the rollback, the measure should have enough support to withstand Stroger's promised veto.

Chicago Parking Ticket Revenue Plummets
Chicago's parking ticket revenues have fallen by nearly $1 million a month between May and August 2009, compared with the same time in 2008, marking another declining revenue source as the city struggles to fill a $520 million budget hole.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user pobrecito33.